NEAR Foundation, the non-profit that supports the growth and development of the NEAR ecosystem, announced a partnership with Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music and performing arts in the world. Under the terms of the agreement, Berklee has selected NEAR Foundation as a technology partner to develop an app called RAIDAR, (Rights and Asset Information in Decentralized, Authoritative Repositories), which allows musicians and creators to buy and sell music licenses.
Created by Berklee — under the guidance of professors George Howard and Andrea “Ani” Johnson, and powered by NEAR blockchain technology — one of the world’s fastest scalable and cost effective protocols — the aim of RAIDAR is to build a marketplace where musicians can upload their music, along with its proper metadata, and those who require music for their projects (whether film or game makers, advertisers or others) can license music from this world-class music institution’s students. All transactions are recorded on the NEAR blockchain in order to ensure legal, accurate and historic representation of the creators’ works and will utilize smart contracts to disintermediate the licensing process and ensure that musicians receive the full economic value and credit for their works.
The product is simple to use. Musicians upload their music files and metadata through a mobile- and desktop-friendly web app. Their song is then represented by a unique, secure smart contract and assigned to the creator’s wallet as an asset or NFT, empowering the creator to view and showcase the song.
Customers buying music can browse, search for, filter, and preview songs uploaded to the RAIDAR app by other users and then purchase single-use licenses for songs via the app. The song’s smart contract distributes funds received from the payment to the song’s creator. After the purchase transaction completes, the buyer receives an email with the corresponding song download link and a copy of the license agreement.
George Howard, Distinguished Professor of Music Business at Berklee, said: “This is a first of its kind product that will help to democratize the world of music by putting creators first and ensuring they are always rewarded and protected from exploitation for their original work. Those who are seeking to license music for their projects now have a chance to access and support new creators by tapping into an exciting marketplace through the RAIDAR app, which is easy to navigate and offers a safe and reliable way to pay for music.”
“RAIDAR is the linchpin of Berklee’s soon-to-be–established Center for Innovation and Impact,” says Professor Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management department at Berklee and managing director of the Center for Innovation and Impact. “The fact that we are in the middle of strategic planning with a goal to launch the Center next summer, makes NEAR’s support of this project even more timely. RAIDAR will serve as just one of many opportunities for our students to engage with emerging technologies, as well as collaborate with partners from the music, entertainment and related tech industries. We are extremely excited and fortunate to have NEAR join us on this journey.”
Commenting on the significance of this partnership, Chris Donovan, CEO of the NEAR Foundation, said: “We are extremely excited to be working with Berklee to support a new and unique use case that has real world value for those that use it. The RAIDAR app is a disruptive technology built on NEAR that will help students to explore the power of smart contracts to ensure they are being paid fairly for their work, and that the world of music becomes more inclusive, safe and exciting for everyone.”
About Berklee
Berklee is the preeminent institute of contemporary music and the performing arts, offering undergraduate, graduate degree programs, and other capacity building programs at its campuses in Boston, Massachusetts, New York, New York, and Valencia, Spain, through its award-winning distance learning program, Berklee Online, and the Berklee Abu Dhabi Center in the UAE. Dedicated to nurturing the creative and career potential of the world’s most inspired artists, Berklee’s commitment to arts education is reflected in the work of its students, faculty, and alumni—hundreds of whom have been recognized with Grammy, Tony, Oscar, and Emmy Awards.
About NEAR Foundation
NEAR Foundation is a non-profit that supports the growth and development of the NEAR ecosystem and the Blockchain Operating System (B.O.S.), a full stack Web3 development and app distribution platform at the heart of an open web. The BOS is compatible with all blockchains, making it the entry point to the open web for users and developers alike. Founded on the principles of openness and sustainability, the NEAR Foundation is driven by the vision of putting information and technology in the service of humanity rather than political or corporate interests.
For more information, please visit: NEAR Foundation